AKIPRESS.COM - At least 25 people, mostly students, were killed after a blaze broke out early on Thursday at a religious school in Kuala Lumpur - the deadliest fire in decades in Malaysia.

The fire at Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah - a "tahfiz" boarding school where students learn to memorise the Quran - was reported at 5:40am (21:40 GMT Wednesday), according to a statement from the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department.

Khirudin Drahman, director of Kuala Lumpur's fire and rescue department, told AFP news agency the number of confirmed dead are 23 students and two teachers.

Seven people were taken to a nearby hospital for injuries, while 11 others were rescued.

Firefighters rushed to the scene and the blaze was out within an hour.

Kuala Lumpur Police Chief Amar Singh told reporters the boys who died were aged 13-17, and they probably suffocated due to smoke inhalation. The dormitory had only one entrance, leaving many of the victims trapped inside, he said.

An official said bodies were piled on top of each other, indicating a possible stampede as people tried to flee the fire. Some witnesses said they had heard the students crying for help after the fire broke out.

"They're still counting the bodies, which were piled on top of each other in a corner," Singh said.

Hundreds of people, including families of some victims, gathered outside the school as more bodies were being removed by fire officials.

The blaze began in the sleeping quarters on the top floor of the three-storey school building, fire officials said.